


i see the ramen bowls fly

by SafelyCapricious



Series: ain't no grave can hold my body down [24]
Category: Naruto
Genre: ANBU - Freeform, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Betting, Gen, Haruno Sakura-centric, No Uchiha Massacre, POV Uchiha Sasuke, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27186253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SafelyCapricious/pseuds/SafelyCapricious
Summary: Sasuke doesn’t mean to just announce it over ramen -- but he’s been frustrated and Naruto is being loud and Sai is being judgy and -- and so he blurts it out. He’s not entirely sure what reactions he’s expecting, he hasn’t really thought it through all the way to get that far -- he’s not even entirely sure he means it, but now he’s said it and he can’t take it back.“This is a terrible idea,” Sakura says, looking up towards the ceiling like she’s expecting some sort of divine intervention. None comes.
Relationships: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Haruno Sakura
Series: ain't no grave can hold my body down [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950148
Comments: 28
Kudos: 412





	i see the ramen bowls fly

**Author's Note:**

> Day 24 of Fictober
> 
> Mozzie-Kitty did not want to get off my chest and let me write this, but here we are. Theoretically for the word Owl which appears exactly once. Such is life.
> 
> Please enjoy.

Sasuke doesn’t mean to just _announce_ it over ramen -- but he’s been frustrated and Naruto is being loud and Sai is being judgy and -- and so he blurts it out. He’s not entirely sure what reactions he’s expecting, he hasn’t really thought it through all the way to get that far -- he’s not even entirely sure he means it, but now he’s said it and he can’t take it back.

“This is a terrible idea,” Sakura says, looking up towards the ceiling like she’s expecting some sort of divine intervention. None comes.

Naruto is bouncing in his seat. “Are you — are you serious? You aren’t going to leave us behind, asshole!”

Sasuke feels a moment of guilt -- he’d been thinking of himself and not of them but -- but it’s not like there’s anywhere else for him to _go_ and his clan has -- “Hn,” he says, feeling torn.

Sakura has started to mumble under her breath, and Sasuke catches his father’s name and a disparaging remark that might somehow involve a duck and tries to stop listening.

Sai finally leans around Sakura to look at him, noodles hanging limply from his chopsticks. “I do not think you will make it, Dickless,” he says, and then obnoxiously slurps up the noodles.

Which, of course, means that Naruto is now _yelling_ about his intentions to join ANBU and how he’ll show everyone. Sakura’s mumbling is now just speaking and it’s definitely against his father, which is rude since _Naruto_ is clearly the issue here but he can almost hear Sakura’s “I’m not going to question the parentage of the Yondaime, Sasuke!”

“Alright, alright,” she finally says, interrupting Naruto. “We’ll all try for it _together_ , and we’ll help each other okay?”

Sasuke doesn’t bother to hide his grimace, because he doesn’t need to, what with Naruto lunging across him (and spilling the last of his broth) in an effort to wrap everyone up in a hug. Sai slides off the stool to avoid it, but Sakura gets caught and Sasuke is, of course, in the middle.

“That is a terrible idea, Sakura,” Sai says, and Sasuke can feel Sakura stiffen against him.

But her voice is still mild when she pulls away from the hug and says, “I do not want to hear it, Sai.” Of course, the look she aims at him is anything but mild.

“Yeah! Don’t question Sakura! She’s gonna be great!” Naruto enthuses, and Sasuke wants to echo what Sai said earlier.

It’s not that he thinks that Sakura is a bad ninja, it’s just that...it’s just that ANBU is the best of the best and also they do all of the worst and bloodiest missions and just...he doesn’t think Sakura is suited for it. But if he says anything then she’ll be really set on it and probably hurt herself trying to keep up and --

“Not a word, Sai,” Sakura says again, fake smile firmly in place.

Sai frowns at all of them for a moment and then nods and offers his own rictus of a smile. “I am already ANBU, and will help where I can, I suppose.”

And then they’re hugging again. Sasuke goes limp and hopes that it ends soon.

***

“You want to be ANBU,” the Hokage says, flatly, staring over her steepled fingers at the four of them, as Sai had stuck around and they’d come straight from lunch anyways. “t _ogether_.”

“Yes, shishō,” Sakura dips her head, and steps on Naruto’s foot before he can say anything. He takes the warning for what it is and remains quiet.

Tsunade stares at them over her fingers for long enough that Sasuke is starting to be impressed that Naruto hasn’t burst into noise again when she finally speaks. “Are you sure, Sakura?”

Sasuke can see Sakura nod, but whatever she says is drowned out by Naruto. “Hey! Don’t question Sakura, Obaa-sama! She can do it!”

Even Sasuke finds himself wincing when Tsunade snorts and pours herself something, it’s a clear liquid and he’s not going to guess if it’s sake or water. “I know my apprentices’s skills, Naruto. I know exactly what she’s capable of. Don’t question me.”

Sasuke finds himself wincing again because — because he doesn’t think that Sakura would be suited for ANBU, doesn’t think she’d make it, but he didn’t want to hurt her by saying it, but he is kind of happy that she won’t go through it and won’t get hurt — he’s hurt her enough already and — but to hear it from Tsunade? That must hurt her. He itches with the need to defend her, even if this hurt is going to cause the result he wants -- her not trying to be ANBU.

“You’re being mean, Obaa-sama,” Naruto says, at a slightly less loud volume. Even as he reaches a hand out to lay on Sakura’s back.

Sasuke huffs to himself, satisfied that Naruto has the emotional job of making sure Sakura is as okay as she can be taken care of.

Tsunade snorts again and takes a long drink from her glass — and he’s not saying it’s sake, but he’s pretty sure it’s sake. “Normally people are tapped for ANBU, by a current operative who wants to act as their mentor. Doing it this way — it’s going to be harder and it’ll take longer. Sasuke, Naruto, are you sure you don’t want to wait to see if you’ll be tapped?”

Sasuke winces again -- she’s not even asking Sakura anymore. Sakura’s shoulders hunch up by her ears and he fights the urge to defend her, even though he knows Tsunade is right.

“We’ll do it together, believe it!” Naruto says, arm curved all the way around Sakura now.

“Alright, alright,” she allows, and considers them all over the rim of her cup. After a moment a grin can be seen around the edges of the cup and then she plants a hand on the desk and leans forward, pointing at Sai. “You! You’ll bet with me.”

Sasuke can’t see Sai where he’s standing, but he must signify his agreement somehow because suddenly the Hokage is pulling money out of her cleavage and slapping it down on the table. “Less than ten minutes and four!”

“Less than five minutes,” Sai says, and Sasuke wonders if they’re betting for them or against them, “and six.”

She cackles behind the desk and nods, “Deal.” And then she’s tossing back the rest of her drink and leering at them. Sasuke realizes that Sakura has placed both of her hands over her face and seems to be shaking and Naruto is frantically rubbing her back.

“Doing it this way,” Tsunade continues like she hadn’t just bet on them, “is going to be harder and take longer than the traditional way. And if -- and it is an _if_ \-- you get in, it’s going to get worse. It’s bloody and violent and you’re going to do things you don’t want to do and have to follow orders you might not agree with.” She makes a point to look at him and Naruto for a long moment until he nods. “In short,” she finishes, “It’s going to suck.”

Naruto pumps a hand in the air, even as he continues to pat Sakura’s back, and bounces in place slightly. “We’re gonna do it together and it’s going to be awesome, and don’t worry Baa-sama, we’ll keep Sakura safe!”

Tsunade snorts into her cup. “Right. That’s what I’m worried about. In any case, I can’t promise you’re going to be together.”

“What do you mean?” Naruto steps forward and waves a hand, “We’re the best together and we’ll join together!”

“I can’t --” She’s interrupted by the appearance of six ANBU, all appearing simultaneously in front of her desk and immediately dropping to a knee.“Really?” she asks, sounding bored, and then she leans forward and narrows her eyes. “You’re not even supposed to be back for another two days, Owl, or another day for you, Crow!”

“Our mission ended early, Hokage-sama,” and Sasuke knows his brother’s voice and it makes his spine straighten even more.

“How did you even --”

“Gossip travels fast in the ANBU lounge,” one of the figures drawls, and Sasuke thinks he should know this voice too, but he can’t quite place it.

Tsunade swears and scowls over the heads of the operatives. “How. Did. You. Know.” She doesn’t ask, and her gaze is fixed past Naruto so it must be on Sai, which doesn’t make sense.

Sai doesn’t make a verbal response, but Sasuke thinks he shrugs and is probably grinning that uncanny smile of his.

“Fine,” snaps Tsunade, turning her attention back to the kneeling ANBU operatives. “Can I assume you’re all here for the same thing?”

All of them nod in unison, and keep their heads ducked.

“Fine,” Tsunade smirks and raises her glass again, “You want to explain to them Sakura?”

Sakura still has her hands over her face and she shakes her head.

Tsunade cackles. “Sorry boys, Sakura wants to join the hard way. With her team. She doesn’t want any of you to sponsor her.”

“But — “

“That doesn’t make any —“

“Why would she —“

The ANBU all speak at once, most turning to look over their shoulder and Sasuke feels his jaw drop.

“Will she still be allowed to be a temporary member of _my_ team while she trains?” asks his brother, tilting his head to the side.

“Hey!” protests one of the others, “my team too — we can’t just — if she’s jumping through all those pointless hoops but —“

“But at least she’ll be an official member once she’s done,” points out who Sasuke is starting to believe is Neji.

“How soon can we put in a request for a personnel transfer?” Sasuke thinks that might be his cousin, but he’s just not sure.

“You do have to wait until she’s officially accepted, and her preference to stay with her existing team will be taken into account depending on how _we_ perform together,” Sai says, and now he sounds smug.

Sasuke feels like he’s entered some sort of alternate reality where nothing makes sense.

“What’s going on?” Naruto asks an actually intelligent question for once.

  
Sakura has finally dropped her hands and is staring up at the ceiling.

“Sakura’s been going on ANBU missions for the past two years, as one of the few medics who is cleared to that level. And all of the Captains have been trying to get her to join officially for over a year and she’s been refusing because she wants to stay on Team Seven,” Sai says, cheerfully.

“…fuck,” Sasuke says into the ensuing silence.

**Author's Note:**

> So, ya'll know I'm a Sakura-Stan, and while I totally respect fics that have her struggling to keep up with her teammates...not my style. 
> 
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> So I wanted a fic with her doing badass shit behind their back but still trying to stay with them. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Find me on tumblr <3


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